Re: The Grand Staircase

**Narcissa Black** October 16th 2011, 2:20 am

"No," said Narcissa, "your family believes that muffles can be on par with us. You breed with them, soiling the name of what it means to be a wizard.". She sneered at him, "my health would be in far better shape than yours, Weasley. At least my family can afford a healer. That's more than can be said for yours." she smirked at him.

**Arthur Weasley** October 16th 2011, 2:39 am

"Well, at least we have the ability to heal ourselves," Arthur said. "We don't need to run to someone else to fix our boobie ouchies." He raised his eyebrows and made a sad face. "And Muggles are easily on par with you; they're better than you, actually. They don't feel the need to be slaves to some almighty master. Because that's what your little crew is - slaves to You-Know-Who."

**Narcissa Black** October 16th 2011, 4:07 am

Narcissa gave a cold laugh "You would think that, a blood traitor like yourself.". She scoffed, "you don't know a thing.". She shook her head, "you won't ever know your place, will you, Weasley?". As she said this, she began to wonder what other families were like - what life was like without having Roseau with dining a husband and gaining respect and a reputation.
(Sorry for te weird responses. I'm at this show or parents weekend and I'm on my phone.)

**Andromeda Black** October 16th 2011, 6:58 am

Andromeda saw the familiar figure of her sister standing next to a Ginger Weasel. Figuring that the two sisters could make sport of the creature, she walked over to Cissy's side, gently tapping her on the shoulder before turning to the ginger. "Ah, one of the many Weasleys," she said smoothly, walking around behind Arthur. "Having a fun little time, aren't you?" she said, slowly grabbing the iPod from his hand. "What do we have here?" she mused. "A precious gift for one of your Mudblood friends? Or something for your little ginger girlfriend." She twirled the device in a circle, holding onto the middle of the string of the headphones.

**Arthur Weasley** October 16th 2011, 7:03 am

Arthur watched Andromeda grab the headphones, but didn't retaliate immediately; she was scaring him, reminding Arthur quite vividly of her insane sister Bellatrix. And one did not mess with someone half as mentally unstable as Bellatrix. But the use of the m-word was too much for Arthur to handle. "Well, considering you're the one with mud for blood, then no, it isn't from one," he said. "It's a gift from a Hufflepuff, Ted Tonks. Quite a nice guy you know." Two could play the manipulation game. Arthur was clever; he knew that Andromeda would not like to hear the name of the boy who told Dumbledore about Rosier. It would bother Andromeda, but Andromeda could not retaliate without revealing her secret to her sister.

**Narcissa Black** October 16th 2011, 8:00 am

Narcissa looked over her shoulder at the sound of her sisters voice. She smirked at the insults that she threw at the weasel. He only deserved it for barrelling into her like that. She knee this side of Andy, though it was never directed at her. Cissy's smirk dropped, however, as he accused them of having 'dirty' blood. "how dare ou insult the name of Black like that?" she hissed.

**Andromeda Black** October 19th 2011, 1:46 am

Andromeda paused briefly at the mention of Tonks' name, but quickly brushed aside. That little Hufflepuff was nothing to her, just a little tattle tale. "Why would I care about some filthy Mudblood?" she said a little too smoothly. She tossed her hair back over her shoulders, as though she was throwing her tenseness behind her. At Arthur's insult against her blood, Andromeda whipped out her wand and held it to Arthur neck. "Don't you ever insult the name of Black again, little Weasel," she hissed. "Or else it won't be you who's paying the price. Maybe your poof of a brother's bar might see a little action, or the littlest ginger might have fall his broom at the next match. Or maybe your precious girlfriend will be hanging from the rafters." She hoped that would touch a nerve or two.

**Arthur Weasley** October 19th 2011, 1:50 am

Arthur laughed loudly at Narcissa's retort. He saw Andromeda's brief break and composure and smiled. "Haven't you met Ted before?" Arthur asked with a smile. "In Charms class, of course; we all have it together like one big happy family," he added for clarification so Narcissa wouldn't get suspicious. He didn't want to get Ted killed, after all. He flinched slightly when Andromeda put her wand to his throat, but his hand was already in his pocket, grasping at his own wand. "Don't you dare threaten them again," he whispered murderously, as he pointed his wand to her heart.

**Narcissa Black** October 19th 2011, 7:26 am

Narcissa watched as Andy carefully brushed off the mention of the Hufflepuff Mudblood, even when Arthur pressed her. Andy whipped out her wand immediately when Arthur insulted their name, and began threatening him and his family. Narcissa kept her face a mask, but she was beginning to see more Bella in Andy than she had before. She was getting dangerous, and it slightly scared her. All qualms fell away however, when he took out his wand and pointed it at Andy's heart. Narcissa followed suit, whipping out her want seconds after Arthur drew on Andy. "Don't you even try it, Weasel," she whispered ferociously. "You make one move, and I will make you wish that you never lived." She held her wand level at his heart, holding it so hard that the studs in the handle dug into her hand.

**Arthur Weasley** October 19th 2011, 10:03 pm

I must have a psychotic death wish or something, Arthur thought as Narcissa pointed her wand at him. No sane person tried to take on two Black sisters at the same time. Granted, it was the least lethal combination he could hope for - at least Bellatrix wouldn't be there to play with him. Quickly, he nonverbally cast a shield charm, deciding that he didn't want to be the first to attack; he knew if he attacked one, the other would quickly retaliate. He just needed to keep them distracted until back-up arrived or he found an escape route. "Relax, Blondie," he said with smile. "Just a bit of self-defense. You Slytherins know a bit about saving your own arse."

**Andromeda Black** October 19th 2011, 10:09 pm

Andromeda saw Narcissa also extend her wand; her heart froze in panic, for she did not like the idea of her baby sister getting hurt. Because Andy knew that Narcissa would be Arthur's first target. Part of her briefly considering using a bit of gentle Imperiusing to get Narcissa to back down, but decided against that, for she hated the idea of using the curse on someone she loved. Instead, she shifted to the side, using herself as a barrier between Arthur and Cissy. "At least we don't feel the need to commit foolish, reckless acts in the name of justice," she said. She moved her wand slowly to his heart, twisting it gently to the side as she whispered, "Sectumsempra!" The spell just broke Arthur's shiled charm and left a small, narrow cut on the boy's chest.

**Narcissa Black** October 20th 2011, 12:16 am

Narcissa raised her eyebrows as Arthur called her 'Blondie'. No one called her that. Ever. She narrowed her eyes at him, getting ready to strike, should she need to. "An attempt at self-defense would get you nowhere, Weasel." She frowned when Andy stepped in front of her, but didn't openly question the movement at the risk of letting Arthur know that there was a disagreement between the two of them. Narcissa could only wach as her wand moved down towards his heart and she whispered the words that Severus had only just taught them. She was a bit surprised that she chose to use such a powerful spell right off the bat, and thought little of it until she saw the blood from the narrow cut. At first she thought there were more than just that, but then she realized that he had placed a shielding charm on himself.

**Arthur Weasley** October 20th 2011, 1:18 am

Arthur winced as the spell hit him; the cut was shallow, so he wouldn't die. That didn't mean it wasn't incredibly painful. He quickly cast a non-verbal Pertificus Totalus in Narcissa's direction, hoping to immobilize at least one of his enemies.

{Note: doing several short posts between Andy and Arthur in order to best get the fighting out.}

**Andromeda Black** October 20th 2011, 1:22 am

Andromeda saw the spell aimed at her sister, and quickly cast a shield charm, sending the blast toward some unfortunate portrait to Arthur's right. So the little Weasel was going to play dirty, then? "Stupefy!" she yelled loudly. Arthur quickly shielded her spell, but the sudden blast was still enough to send him onto the ground. "Sectumsempra!" she yelled again, the power and thrill of the fight blinding her. It was a pure adrenaline rush, and she couldn't stop herself, even though she knew she was being slightly barbaric.

**Arthur Weasley** October 20th 2011, 1:27 am

Arthur felt himself being pushed backward; when he saw the familiar light of whatever that awful cutting spell was called, he raised his left arm to shield his face. He did manage to protect his face, but he could see the blood gushing out a giant slit from his shoulder to slightly below his elbow. "Shit! What the hell?" he yelled as he collapsed to the ground in pain. At least he could still use his wand hand. "Protego!" he yelled, producing the largest shield he could mantain. He was beginning to lose feeling in his left arm; he used his robe to try to stop the bleeding, but it was difficult to shield yourself and stop massive blood flow at the same time.

{end of posts. I hate my head.}

**Narcissa Black** October 20th 2011, 2:18 am

Narcissa could only watch as the events unfolded. It all happened quickly, but she followed it all. She was grateful that Andy had shielded her, otherwise she would just be laying on the ground. Andy made her move before Narcissa could properly stand up for herself and cast a spell at Arthur. She supposed in this case, the extra couple of years between them made the difference in the fight. Again, Andy cast Sectumsempera, but it hit in full this time, leaving Arthur with a large gash on his arm. He couldn't staunch the bloodflow, and just the amount of blood made Narcissa wish that this hadn't happened. She reasoned, however, that it was the blood of a traitor that had been shed, less precious blood. It was inconsequential. She tried tell herself that. Cissy looked over to her sister only to see the same quality in Andy's eyes that she always saw in Bellatrix. She wanted to ask her to stop, but if she did, it would make her weak. That was the last thing that she wanted. Instead, she thought of the way that he had attacked her, and intended to attack Andy. She raised her wand again at Arthur. "Rictusempera! Stupefy! Petrificus Totalus!" She kept her voice level, almost seemingly calm. She wanted to break through his shield. If she could do that, then maybe she could claim to be on the same ground as Andy and Bella.

**Andromeda Black** October 20th 2011, 2:35 am

Andromeda grinned wildly, in almost a Bellatrix-ian way, as Cissy began to slowly batter down the Weasel's shield. "Very good, Cissy!" she said loudly, laughing manically. Andromeda could see that Arthur's shield was a few minutes from breaking; the boy was lying in a pool of his own blood, and his eyes were beginning to rapidly blink. But the Weasel was still holding on, somehow. Finally she simply yelled, "Crucio," summoning all of her anger and hate in the same manner as her older sister had told her to. Part of her wanted to stop, that this was cruel and exactly what Evan did to her, but the other part was addicted to that adrenaline, that complete rush of power.

**Arthur Weasley** October 20th 2011, 2:41 am

Arthur kept thinking of Molly, of Billy and Ron, as he continued to maintain his shield charm. It was the only thing keeping him going; they needed him, and he needed them. Then the Cruciatus Curse came; his body felt like it was on fire, like someone was stabbing him over and over again with needles all over his body. He could feel the tears dripping down his face. Why couldn't he stop them? In class, he was normally so good at duelling, but when he needed those skills most, he failed. Granted, he was outnumbered, but still. "Expecto Patronum!" he yelled as he thought of sitting on the loveseat in the common room with Molly, of getting drunk on cheap Firewhiskey in the attic with Billy and Ron. A silver form emerged from the end of his, wand surrounding him protectively.

**Narcissa Black** October 25th 2011, 6:02 am

Narcissa watched in veiled horror at what her sister was doing. She had seen the Cruciatus done before, but never this close. Bella had threatened to use it on her a couple of times, but only came close to it, as Andy usually intervened. She fought the urge to stop her sister, as she needed to save her face and reputation. She convinced herself that he was just a blood-traitor, who deserved this, who had it coming to him. Then, all of a sudden, just as Narcissa thought Weasel was about to break, a blinding white light emanated from Arthur's wand as he cast his protective Patronus charm. She took a few steps back, caught of guard by the spell.
(I don't quite know what a protective patronus does... so I'll change it if need be. Very Happy

)

**Andromeda Black** October 25th 2011, 6:29 am

Andromeda watched the Patronus, fittingly taking the shape of a weasel, come closer to her and Cissy, slowly pushing them away from Arthur. Andy protectively grabbed Cissy's arm and began leading her away from Arthur. "Let's go," she whispered nervously. As she began to turn away, she caught a glimpse of Weasley's face; he looked incredibly pale, more so than he normally did. The paleness contrasted oddly with the blood that was covering him, and his body was still shaking from the aftereffects the Cruciatus Curse. It made Andromeda nauseous, to think that was what she had done.

{Honestly, the idea of a protective Patronus didn't occur to me until Arthur was like, "I'm gonna cast a Patronus because I don't know what else I could do."}

**Arthur Weasley** October 25th 2011, 6:33 am

Arthur didn't really look to see what the Black sisters were doing because he was focusing all his attention on his Patronus. His mind filled with other memories of people he loved: his parents running over to him and hugging him fiercely immediately after he exited the train on his way home for the Christmas holidays first year, his grandfather teaching him how to read the astronomer's pocketwatch that he always kept by his side, Ted showing him how to kick a footieball. They filled him with warmth and kept the weasel standing strong.

**Narcissa Black** October 25th 2011, 11:23 pm

Narcissa followed her sister's lead, leaving with her when prompted. She nodded at Andy, and turned quickly on her heel, catching as last glimpse of the weasel, wondering if they should leave Arthur there. Someone will find him. she reasoned to herself. She shut her eyes, but it was like the image was burned there. His entire body was shivering and twitching - the only thing that would make him seem alive. Otherwise, he would just look like a pallid corpse. Cissy quickened her pace, trying to get away as quickly as she could.

**Andromeda Black** October 27th 2011, 3:06 am

Andromeda began to sprint; she couldn't bear to look at it any longer. Why was she so sick? She wasn't supposed to be Bellatrix; she hated pain, hated what Evan did her. Yet she was Evan and Bella; she finally understood why they did what they did. She looked at Cissy, so pure; Andromeda couldn't infect her, couldn't let Cissy become like her. "I need to go. Bathroom," she mumbled, not looking at Cissy. She ran down the hallway, letting her feet take her where they wanted.

{Arthur moans feebly and decides not to post.}

**Narcissa Black** October 27th 2011, 3:18 am

Cissy tried to keep up with Andy, and she did for a while until she saw the look in Andy's eyes when she looked at her and mumbled about the bathroom, sprinting off. "Andy!" She whispered loudly, half afraid that someone would connect her with Arthur in the Grand Staircase. She didn't turn around to acknowledge her. Cissy was behind her for a while until she turned the corner and then she lost sight of Andy, until Cissy looked for the nearest bathroom - where Andy said she would go. She still remembered how Arthur had looked, but she kept forcing the same thought upon herself. He was just a blood-traitor Weasley.

**Andromeda Black** October 27th 2011, 3:43 am

Andromeda knew that Cissy would want to talk, and she didn't want to talk. So Andromeda ran until she found the nearest bathroom, then turned into a classroom just before the bathroom door. She tiptoed to the corner of the classroom, hoping that Cissy wouldn't find her. Then once Cissy doubled back, she would head to the library or somewhere else nice and quiet.

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